What Could've Been
by SaltyMama1315
Summary: As a loyal Gage/Sydney fan, I firmly believe there were times during seasons 8 & 9 that they could've gotten together and these are my versions of how it happens. Please read & review, will update once more episodes are done,
1. Countdown Season 8 Ep 2

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: THESE STORIES ARE INSPIRED BY HopelessRomantic246 AND HER SET OF FICS ABOUT WHAT SHOULD'VE BEEN. THANK YOU FOR YOUR INSPIRATION.**

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE: I do not own Walker, Texas Ranger or any of its characters/ideas. The following stories are based on episodes from Seasons 8 & 9, transcribed by me to the best of my ability. Some text is taken word for word but I lay no claim to it. Please read and review and let me know which episodes you'd really like to see redone.  
**

COUNTDOWN

Sydney spoke in a Spanish accent. "You're El Leon."

"In deed I am. Ramon has told me a lot about you two. Says you're our best customers and now you're looking to take a step up," he responded.

"That's right," Gage said as Alex, his undercover alias.

"If you can handle it," Sydney added, sly smile across her face. El Leon looked impassive as he spoke.

"Oh believe me, I can handle it. But before I meet with anyone, I like to know who I'm dealing with and, as a matter of fact, I checked you both out personally. You know, it's a funny thing; I couldn't find anything out on either one of you."

Gage scoffed. "What are you talking about?"

"What I'm talking about is you either don't exist or you're cops. Since I'm looking right at you, that means you do exist. "

Sydney paused for a moment then turned and gave Gage a shove. "I told you this wasn't going to work. I told you El Leon was too smart for this."

"It's not that he's so smart, it's that you're so stupid," Gage shot back.

"Who you calling stupid huh?" Sydney shot back. Gage raised his eyebrows at her and then they attacked. Gage battled with El Leon and another henchman while Sydney took care of Ramon and his goon. Just as they were in the thick of the fight, another guard rushed in, gun ready to strike. But he didn't see Walker behind him as he and Trivette stormed the building.

Once the four rangers had entered the battle, it was quickly over. Walker took a look around before approaching Gage and Sydney. Sydney had just placed the cuffs on Ramon.

"Lousy cops," he said.

"Actually," Sydney spoke with no accent. "We're not cops. We're Texas Rangers." She gave Ramon to one of the DPD officers and then she and Gage turned to speak with Walker and Trivette.

"Hey Walker, Trivette. Nice to know your timing is still excellent."

Trivette addressed them both, however referring to Sydney as "Ranger Cooke" as Walker spoke.

"Nice work," he said to Sydney.

"Thank you," she replied.

"You know the Rangers have been after El Leon for years but you two are the only ones to get this deep into his organization," Trivette added.

"It did take 9 months, but it did pay off. I owe most of the credit to Sydney. I may have got up in the door, but she really kept us in the game," Gage said, scratching his eyebrow and pointing to Sydney.

"Oh you mean considering I'm stupid?" she asked, shooting him a look.

"Hey I had to think of something," was all he could say.

"It was good work for your first assignment," Walker said, looking at Sydney.

"Thank you Ranger Walker."

Walker and Trivette turned and left, leaving Gage and Sydney to head back to that tiny, dingy apartment and collect their belongings.

As they entered the apartment for one last time, Sydney took in her surroundings one more time. 9 months she had spent in this apartment with her partner, playacting during the day and seeing their true selves at night. She had learned just about everything she could know about him, although he never did tell her much about his family. She gathered something had happened with his family that he wasn't ready to talk about yet. She slowly went to the bedroom to get her stuff.

Gage watched her as she took in the room before heading to the bedroom. He, like Sydney, had enjoyed their evenings in the apartment, even if it was filthy and the outside hallway smelled like urine. He had enjoyed getting to know the petite ranger and even though he had worked with other partners before, he had never worked with anyone like her. Sydney Cooke was something special and she would make a fantastic ranger. He would've loved to stay as her partner, but he knew once they got back to Houston, they would be separated. He just didn't want it to end.

He followed Sydney to the bedroom and stood in the doorway as she packed her clothes. Once she was done, she turned to face him.

"It was fun Gage," she said, not looking him in the eye.

"Yeah. You did good Cooke."

"Thanks. You weren't so bad yourself."

"I want you to know I meant what I said."

"When?" she asked.

"What I said to Walker and Trivette. You were the one to carry us through the past 9 months."

"I did what any other ranger would have done."

"Going to Ramon the way you did, telling him to give us more, that's what cinched things for us. If you hadn't been so bold and brazen, we'd probably still be living in this apartment and nowhere near meeting El Leon. You really were the all-star of this team, Syd."

"Thanks Gage. That means a lot."

"I'm gonna miss our time here though."

"What do you mean?"

"I've never felt so at ease with someone before like I have felt here with you. It's so easy to talk to you. You know more about me than any other partner I've had and I've had my fair shake."

"It goes both ways. You know more about me than any partner I've ever had. I'm going to miss our nights too. You've been a great friend ever since out academy days and now I would say you're my best friend."

"You're my best friend too. I'm gonna miss you Syd."

Sydney walked over to Gage, wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug before stepping up on tip-toe to peck his cheek. His arms went around her and held her tight. He never wanted to let her go, but he knew he had too.

He released her, watched as she grabbed her bag and waved a small goodbye. Then she disappeared out the door and he stood watching the door, almost like he believed is he wished hard enough, she would materialize in front of him. But he knew it wouldn't happen. So he packed his things and headed back to his apartment.

After hearing about the group of men who planted Anthrax in Dallas, the governor's office decided to have Walker lead a task force to find the Anthrax and stop the men. Already knowing he wanted him on the team, Walker and Trivette took off to find Gage.

They found him in the middle of a bar fight while he was trying to bring his perp in. After assisting in the fight and subduing the men, Gage turned to Walker.

"Not that I'm complaining but to what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked.

"You've got a new assignment," Walker said.

"Doing what?"

"You're going to be working with Walker and me," Trivette said.

"You're going to need a new partner. How about Phil Jefferson out of Amarillo?" Walker asked.

"Don't get me wrong, Phil's a good ranger but if you're giving me the choice, I'd really like my last partner, Sydney," Gage said.

"Sydney Cooke?" Trivette questioned.

"I know she's still a little green but she has great instincts. I've never worked with anyone who had better ones. I think she could be a real asset to the team," Gage replied.

"Okay, it's your call," Walker said.

"Thanks Walker," Gage called after him as Walker and Trivette left the bar. Gage collected his perp and headed back to Headquarters to book him.

After booking Ricky, Gage was walking down the hall and saw Sydney standing outside the main door to Company C. He called out to her.

"Cooke!"

She turned and smiled. "Hey Gage."

He reached her and smiled back. "We just go picked as part of a task force to work with Walker and Trivette in Dallas."

"We did?"

"Yeah. We get to be partners again. Walker has already sent over the transfer papers. Let's get going."

Sydney thought for a minute. She couldn't believe she was going to be working with Gage again. Ever since El Leon ended, she had done nothing but thought about Gage and how she missed him. Just seeing him now had her heart beating a little faster and her hands clammy. So she just smiled and followed him out the door.

After saving Dallas from the Anthrax and bringing in Woodson and his crew, everyone gathered around CDs for a bite to eat. Since Gage and Sydney had done such a great job on the task force, Walker decided to keep them both in Company B and leave them as partners. It was amazing how quickly the new rangers had been accepted by Alex and CD as well.

"So they're talking about us? Seriously?" Trivette said.

"Yeah we heard all about it at the FBI academy at Quantico," Sydney answered.

"Do you hear that Walker? Talking about us at the FBI academy," Trivette said, feeling almost giddy. "Okay, tell me what they're saying about us, long version."

Sydney cleared her throat and smiled. "Everyone talked about Walker's arrest record and his martial arts and…."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Jimmy said, cutting her off. "What about me? My arrest record, my computer skills?"

"Well, um," Sydney started before casting a glance at Gage.

"Come on Gage, don't leave me hanging buddy," Trivette said, taking another bite of his dinner.

"Well Trivette, all anyone really talked about was that time you went undercover as a male stripper in Lubbock."

Jimmy's face shot up, a blank expression. Everyone looked at him, waiting to see what he would say.

"Uh-oh," Walker commented.

"Let's not go there," Jimmy said, looking down.

"They say the little old ladies in Lubbock are still talking about your, um," Sydney stated before looking at Gage.

Together they said, "Backfield in motion." Everyone at the table began to laugh, except Jimmy. He just stared at his friends while they tried to contain themselves.

"Not hungry anymore?" Alex asked.

"Um, I think it's time to go home. I will see you all at work tomorrow," Jimmy said as he stood, a blush creeping up his cheeks. He flew out of the door so fast; it was just like a blur passing by.

About 15 minutes later, Walker and Alex said goodnight to the young rangers and headed out the door. All the four of them could talk about after Trivette left was how embarrassed he had been. Once they were left alone, Gage turned to Sydney.

"Can I give you a lift?"

"Sure, thanks Gage."

He stood and offered her her coat as she stood. She smiled at him and again, her heart began to beat a little fast. He slipped an arm around her back and led her to the front door. Sydney thought her heart was going to burst out of her chest.

Since working with Gage on this case and now that they were staying in Dallas, Sydney couldn't help but wonder about the future. Sure, she and Gage had made a convincing couple during the El Leon bust, but could they be an actual couple? She wasn't even sure if Gage felt anything for her other than friendship.

As Gage steered her towards the door, he felt so at ease. It was almost as if they were together and ne noticed how his hand fit perfectly in the small of her back. He let his mind drift back to some of the other times they had touched and a small shudder went through him as he smiled. To touch her sent electricity through him and he longed to touch her in a different way. But did she feel the same about him?

Once outside the building, Gage just had to know. He took her hand and led her down the sidewalk, away from his car. Her face was an expression of confusion as he dipped into an alleyway. Her back against the brick wall, he stared down at her getting lost in her warm chocolate brown eyes. Her tongue darted out to moisten her lips and he couldn't help himself. He lowered his head down to hers.

As Sydney watched his face get closer and closer, she wondered if she should stop him. He was going to kiss her, she knew that much. But was he doing it for any other reason beside he wanted to? Knowing how good it would feel to kiss him again, as Sydney and not Maria, she titled her head back and met his lips.

It was sweet and gentle. As he brought his hand to her head, she tilted her head back further and sighed a happy sigh against him. He took the invitation to deepen the kiss and his tongue boldly sought out hers. She reached her arms up to wrap around his neck, her nails scratching along his broad shoulders.

When it became necessary to breathe, they separated but foreheads still touching. Gage ran his tongue over his lips, committing to memory what it was like to kiss her for real. Sydney looked into his blue-gray eyes and saw, what she hoped, were his true feelings for her.

"So Gage," Sydney started.

"Yeah Syd?"

"Why did you kiss me?"

"Because I wanted to. Why did you kiss me back?"

"Because I wanted to," she said, a sly smile crossing her face.

"Well, I'd like to kiss you again."

"Then what's stopping you?" she asked, pulling his head back down for another kiss, this one far more passionate than the previous.

Neither partner knew how long they stayed up against the brick wall, each teasing the other with kisses, but when they finally broke apart, Gage put an arm around Sydney as they walked towards the car. She leaned in close, smelling that scent that was only unique to him and sighed contently. They would worry about how to tell Walker about this later, right now all Sydney wanted was to get home and get yet another goodnight kiss from this man.

Oh boy, did he kiss her goodnight!


	2. The Safe House Season 8 Ep3

THE SAFE HOUSE

A bright sunny day was upon the ranger team as they took their positions for the bust; Walker waiting near the steps, Gage dressed in a maintanence uniform by the wishing well and Sydney sat with a stroller near the entrance. Trivette took his place near the getaway car and they just waited. Suddenly the alarm rang out and it was show time.

The first three passed by Sydney, she suddenly pushed the stroller out in front of the fourth man and knocked him to the ground. As he jumped up, she sent a hard kick to his chest and forced him back down to the ground.

The men started running for the stairs and after the first two passed by, Gage too his cue and pushed the third man into the fountain, soaking them both.

Man number one looked behind him to see two of his goons taken out and then came face to face with Walker's boot and fell back down the stairs. He did not get back up. Man number two got a kick to the chest as Walker used the railing to exert more force.

Cut back to Gage as he fought with the man in the water. Blocking the first punch, he sent a couple good hits to the guy's midsection before a spin kick to the face knocked him out cold.

Sydney delivered a swift kick to her guy's knee as he tried to take a couple swings at her. She finally ducked under his arm and using all her force, kicked him in the back and sending him face first into the metal pole.

Hearing his cohorts in trouble, the driver began to get out of the getaway car only to be stopped by Trivette. He kicked the gun out of his hand and sent a couple elbow jabs into his ribs before he subsided.

DPD showed up and the rangers began handing off the robbers. Gage picked up the baby doll that had fallen out of the stroller and looked at Sydney.

"Hey Syd, nice maternal instincts," he said, tossing the doll at her as it said Mama. He wondered what Sydney would be like as a mother and even more so if he was the father.

Trivette began to laugh as Walker chuckled to himself. Sydney sent a mocking glance at Gage as he just stared at her. Deep in his mind, he knew Sydney would be an amazing mother and would never put her child in harm's way, but being with the team, he had to keep his feelings in check.

Sydney just smirked at Gage, wondering how he would be as a father before she heard Trivette still laughing. She turned at tossed the doll at him. Trivette wasn't expecting it and it hit him in the gut as he grabbed onto the doll. The doll again cried Mama, Mama.

Once back at CDs for lunch, the four rangers gathered for lunch. Sydney had just finished telling CD that he should write down some of his past arrests and Trivette gave her a look. But before he could say anything else, Alex walked in.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"Big Dog is going to write a book," Jimmy said, his mouth full of food.

"I think it's a great idea," Alex said.

"Thank you honey," CD said. "Would you like to have some lunch?"

"No thank you. I just came to tell Walker that Vince Termin's accountant turned himself in to the Louisiana authorities. Apparently Termin tried to kill him."

"Is Allen willing to testify against Termin?" Walker asked, coming to join the group.

"Yes he is. He and his family are on their way back to the border in the company of the Louisiana State Troopers."

"So Dallas' big time crime boss tried to take out his accountant," Walker mused.

"I never thought we'd be able to get this lucky," Alex added.

"Why haven't you been able to take Termin out?" Sydney asked.

"We got close," Jimmy said.

"What happened?" Sydney asked and Jimmy began to explain that they got close to taking Termin down, arresting him without a fight. But then the witness willing to testify against Termin was found dead, an 'accident' of 14 stories. Death was ruled a suicide since the coroner had no evidence of foul play. Charges against Termin were dismissed and he knew he beat us.

"Gage, I want you and Sydney to meet the troopers at the border and take custody of Allen and his family," Walker said.

"You got it," Gage said, taking one last bite of his sandwich.

"Yes sir," Sydney added. They took off out the door.

When they arrived at the border, the cops were in the middle of a shootout with some unknown men. Gage and Sydney quickly joined in and soon, the shots stopped. Gage called it in to Walker while Sydney did her best to calm the now shaken family of 3.

When Walker arrived on scene, he had Gage and Sydney take custody of the Allen family and escort them back to Dallas. Gage opened the back door and let the family into the car before getting behind the wheel.

As they drove down the road, Amelia Allen announced she was hungry and in their rush to switch cars, they realized they had left the food in the other car. Her father explained that because of her diabetes, she had to eat regularly and noticing a sign for a gas station, Gage said they would stop there for a bite to eat.

After eating, Sydney escorted the women to the restroom while Gage waited with Mr. Allen.

"She's a great kid," Gage said, wondering what it would be like to have his own kid someday. He thought who he would want as the mother.

"She deserves better than this," Allen said.

"What happened?" Gage asked.

"I told Termin I wanted out. I can't believe I thought he'd just let me walk away. Instead he sends some ugly ex-prize fighter named Scully after me. And he didn't just come after me, he came after all of us; my wife and my little girl," Allen said as he began to remember the first attack against his family. "If it hadn't been for that state trooper, we'd be dead for sure."

"Is that when you decided to testify against Termin?" Gage asked.

"It was the only chance we had," Allen said.

"You're doing the right thing. A man like Termin deserves to be put away," Gage said, keeping a level face but his anger rising.

"Ranger, tell me the truth. Do you really think I'm going to live long enough to testify against Termin?"

"Mr. Allen, I have never lost a witness and I do not plan on starting now," Gage said as the women returned to the table. They got back in the car and headed for Dallas.

After another narrow mishap involving a helicopter assassination attempt and a stop by ranger headquarters, Gage and Sydney arrived at the safe house with the Allen family. They were assigned to keep them safe while Walker and Trivette went to arrest Termin.

"A few house rules, stay away from the doors and windows. Under no circumstances can you use the phone," Gage said.

"Can I watch TV?" Amelia asked.

"You can watch as much TV as your parents will let you. There's also a CD player, tons of magazines and a fridge full of food," Sydney said.

"Make yourselves at home," Gage said.

"We'll start some dinner while you go upstairs and get settled," Sydney added. The Allen family went upstairs and the rangers entered the kitchen having the classic debate "Who Cooks & Who Cleans".

"Do you even know how to cook?" Sydney asked, knowing full well that when they were undercover on the El Leon case, she did almost all the cooking.

"Of course, I'm a bachelor."

"What can you cook?" she asked.

"French Toast," Gage said, pouring a glass of juice.

"Really?" Sydney asked, picturing Gage in a little apron as he made French toast. She had to admit, it was a good mental image. She could picture herself watching him cook for her, wearing nothing but an apron and it was a good image.

"Yeah and cinnamon toast, raisin toast, rye toast…" he trailed off.

"What about dinner food?" she asked, teasing him.

"I'll clean," he said taking a drink.

After finding out that Mrs. Allen had made a call to her mother in the night, Gage and Sydney found themselves under attack. Gage was the first to notice them as Sydney and the Allen family were cleaning the kitchen. He called out for them herded them out of the house. He scooped Amelia into his arms as he ran just before the house exploded behind him.

Sydney had glanced back to make sure he was with them, hoping he hadn't gotten caught in the blast. As she saw him cradled the little girl to his body in order to protect her, Sydney thought what a great father he would be someday.

As she ran, she wondered why she was having these feelings and thoughts. Gage was her partner but right now she was having some very 'unpartner' like feelings rushing through her. She couldn't quite place her finger on it yet, but she knew she felt something for him. What was it?

They continued running just behind the garage as Gage gave Amelia to Sydney. He turned and returned fire on the goons chasing them. He wasn't sure what it was but he had an overwhelming urge to not just keep the Allens safe but Sydney as well. Sure, Sydney could handle herself but Gage wanted to be the one to protect her. Where was this coming from?

Sydney led the family to a hiding spot under the bridge. The huddled close together under the wooden planks as Gage looked at them.

"Stay here," he cautioned.

"I'll watch them," Sydney said. "Be careful Gage," she added with a note of concern in her voice.

Gage nodded before sending her an emotional look, urging her to do the same.

By this time, Walker and Trivette had shown up to help with the takedown. They each had a man to deal with and Walker finally flung Scully off the bridge with a powerful roundhouse kick, the fight was over. Gage ran back to Sydney and the Allens. Together, like they did everything, Gage and Sydney led the Allens to safety.

After the trial, everyone gathered at CD's: Walker, Trivette, Alex, Sydney, Gage and the Allens. Amelia was playing darts and CD had just commented how there was a ringer among them.

"What's a ringer Mr. CD?" Amelia asked.

"A ringer is someone who has played the game before."

"Oh, I've been playing darts ever since I was a little girl."

"That long, huh?" CD asked with just a hint of sarcasm but not enough for Amelia to notice.

Mrs. Allen leaned against her husband as he spoke to the rangers. "I can't wait to get to New Orleans and finally get our lives back together."

"So Trivette, are you going to put this in your book?" Walker asked.

"Nah, I'm done with that book thing," Jimmy said, taking a bite.

"Oh good," Walker sounded relieved.

"Screenplays are where the money is," Jimmy said casually.

"What?" Walker asked.

"Oh yeah. And it all boils down to one word: syndication."

Everyone laughed at Jimmy. He was always chasing one big 'get rich' scheme after another, but never seeming to strike it hot. Lord only knows how many times he went to Walker with a 'good' stock tip.

As the laughter died down, Gage cast a glance at Sydney. The blue jean top she had on really brought out the beauty of her exotic features. Her arm was next to his and as she brought a bite of food to her mouth, her arm grazed him. He shuddered slightly and hoped nobody had noticed.

Sydney noticed, mainly because she had the same shudder run through her. She looked at her partner beside her, admiring the way the black shirt clung to his well-muscled frame. As he lifted his drink to his mouth, his arm touched her again and it was all she could do to control herself.

Not long after dinner was over, Gage and Sydney said goodnight to their friends. They had ridden to CD's together in Sydney's Jeep and she was giving him a lift home. The ride was quiet, each ranger lost in their thoughts from earlier that evening.

Pulling up in front of Gage's apartment, Sydney stopped the car. She was about to say goodnight to him when Gage leaned over the center console, brought his hand to her cheek and brushed his lips gently against hers.

Shock initially came over Sydney before she slowly began to kiss him back. When Gage finally pulled away from her, her breath was ragged.

"What was that for?" she asked.

"Damned if I know."

"You kissed me, Gage."

"Yeah I did."

"Why?"

"I don't know but it felt good and I want to do it again," he said so quietly that Sydney almost didn't hear him.

"What?"

"I want to do it again," he said as he leaned over and kissed her again. This time, Sydney kissed him back, pouring herself into her kiss. His hand reached up her face to cup her cheek and her fingers found their way into his hair.

When it became necessary to breathe, they pulled apart. Gage slid out of the Jeep, walking over to the driver's side and opened her door. He offered his hand and Sydney accepted. Slowly, he led her up to his apartment.

Once inside, he turned to face her, taking in all her beauty before lowering his head to hers. He brushed his lips across hers, tentatively at first. She may have kissed him back in the car, but this was completely different.

Sydney couldn't take the slow pain that his light kisses were causing her. She wanted to taste him, that minty freshness that always flowed from his lips. She wound her arms around his neck, pressing herself up against him and feeling the hard planes of his chest. She tilted her head, getting a better angle and he took the hint to part his lips for her. Finally, she dove headfirst into the warmth, minty tingles of his mouth.

Gage wound his arms around her slender body; she seemed to fit in every angle of him. Why had it taken him so long to realize the feelings she stirred within him? He remembered the thoughts of her as a mother after seeing her with the baby doll, he thought of how scared he was, not just for Allens but for Sydney when he saw Scully with that rocket launcher. He always wanted to be there to protect her, but he had to know first.

He reluctantly pulled back from her, Sydney pouting as he did.

"What's wrong?" she asked him, her face a portrait of confusion.

"Nothing is wrong. Everything is finally right."

"Then why did you stop?"

"Because I need to know."

"Know what?"

He took a deep breath. "I need to know what you think we're doing here."

Sydney traced her finger along his jawline and up to his nose. "I think we're exploring and lucky for you, I'm very thorough when I explore something."

"Sydney, I have way too many feelings for you if this is all a game to you."

"Can I tell you something?" she asked.

"Sure."

"I have feelings for you too."

"Glad to hear it but what does it mean?" he asked.

"I think it means we should take it slow and figure things out together. We may not get everything right but at least we'll do it together. We do make a great team, don't we?"

"Yes we do."

"Speaking of something else we do right, come here," she said seductively as she crooked a finger at him. He leaned back into her and his lips sought out hers. This was one thing they most definitely got right!


	3. Widow Maker Season 8 Ep 8

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: LEAVE A COMMENT ON WHICH EPISODE YOU'D LIKE TO SEE ME DO NEXT!**

WIDOW MAKER

The day had started like any other day. Walker, Alex and Trivette were on site at this year's charity rodeo in which the funds were being donated to the H.O.P.E. center. JT had offered to host the rodeo and his daughter Melissa was competing in the barrel chasing competition. Not only that but Ty Murray and the bull known as Widow Maker were going to be there too. 46 guys had tried to ride him but not one stayed on for the full 8 seconds. Ty was vying to be the first.

But then the fight broke out. Buddy Crowder had approached Melissa about 'downing some suds' with him at a local tavern, but Melissa rebuffed his advances. Not only was she underage, but she just plain was not interested in him. Buddy couldn't leave that lying down and lassoed her, pulling her towards him.

JT heard the commotion and went to his daughter's aid. But Buddy turned his sights on the old man that was keeping him from what he wanted and soon Buddy had his boys join in. They held JT while Buddy delivered blow after blow to JT's stomach. Then the cavalry showed up.

Walker and Trivette had joined the fight, each handling their own. Walker had been taking on Buddy's brother and his friends while Trivette was fighting with Buddy himself. That's when Buddy pulled the knife. Trivette tried to talk him down.

"Alright, it's just a fight. If you don't toss the knife, its assault with a deadly weapon, kid. Come on."

Buddy ignored the warnings and lunged at Trivette, swinging the knife back and forth, trying to strike. Trivette grabbed Buddy's arm, throwing him in the water trough. As Melissa tended to her father, Trivette pulled Buddy out to discover the knife sticking out of his chest. Buddy Crowder was dead.

Later that day, Mr. Crowder showed up at headquarters, wanting that 'dirty, rotten scum' that killed his son.

"It was an accident, Mr. Crowder," Walker said.

"Might have known you had something to do with this, Walker. What happened? Putting my brother in the penitentiary wasn't enough for ya?"

"Your brother swindled 30 families out of their land," Alex said.

"Now you've got to go and murder my youngest boy," Crowder said.

"Walker didn't do it, I did it," Trivette said calmly.

"He didn't murder anybody. None of this would've happened if your son hadn't pulled a knife on Ranger Trivette," Alex said.

"The hell you say. You people have had it in for me and my family for years."

"Only when they break the law," Alex shot back.

"I was there Mr. Crowder. We have several witnesses," Walker added.

"I don't care what you've trumped up Walker; you ain't going to get away with this."

"Mr. Crowder, I'm sorry about your son…" Trivette started as Crowder cut him off.

"Not as sorry as you're gonna be, boy. I'll see you in hell."

Crowder had called for a discretionary panel to review Trivette's actions. Melissa testified as to what had happened. She told the officers how Buddy had roped her, pulled her to him and tried to kiss her. Of course, Crowder wouldn't hear of it. Melissa told them about Buddy's friends holding her father while Buddy hit him. Then she told them how Walker and Trivette came and everything started moving so fast. She told them about how Buddy pulled the knife and Trivette tried to talk him down. Finally she told them about Buddy ending up in the water trough and when Trivette pulled him out, the knife was in Buddy's chest.

The officers reviewed all the evidence before taking a recess. They announced Buddy had died at his own hand to avoid being detained by a peace officer. Trivette was exonerated. But Crowder wouldn't hear of it. He vowed to get revenge on Trivette if it was the last thing he did.

Later that day, at CD's Bar & Grill, Walker, Trivette and Alex were having lunch. Trivette got a call and flew out the door, almost forgetting his food. Alex had commented how she's never seen Trivette leave food before as he came back in and scooped up his plate, taking it with him.

"I don't think you ever will," Walker said with a laugh.

For lunch the following day, everyone again gathered at CD's. Walker, Alex, Sydney and Gage were there along with CD as Gage began to tell them about the case he and Sydney had been working on.

"Barry heard that a ranger actually jumped from the helicopter onto the top of the getaway car and busted them red-handed with the evidence, it was over from there," he said, sitting down with the others at the table.

"That's the whole point," CD said.

"What point is that CD?" Gage asked.

"Women rangers," said the old man and now Sydney looked up. There weren't that many women rangers and CD's opinion now sparked her curiosity.

"Oh here we go again," Walker said, looking at Alex.

"What about women rangers?" Sydney asked.

"No, no, don't get him started," Alex warned.

"It's very simple. A woman just won't take the risk that a man will take. No sir."

Gage spoke up. "CD, it was Sydney that jumped onto the getaway car."

CD stood there, a look crossing his face that nobody could describe. He knew he had put his foot in his mouth before hearing the whole story and now he had to figure out how to apologize.

Everyone stared at him, waiting to see what CD would say next. Sydney had a small smile on her face, Alex and Walker stared with a peaked curiosity. CD kind of cleared his throat and spoke. "Well, I guess I better go in the back and get me a great big piece of humble pie," he said with a smile as he walked away from the table.

Sydney looked at Gage. "I was wondering when you were going to speak up." Sydney couldn't help but feel good knowing that while some people thought women couldn't be as tough as men; her partner didn't feel that way. Gage never treated her as a woman ranger, just as a ranger who happened to be a woman. He never let her feel like she was any less than he was. Gage was truly something special and Sydney had always hoped she would find a man like that someday.

But Trivette bursted through the door and pulled Sydney from her daydream. He was sure excited about something, urging everyone to come outside with him. They all followed him out to the curb where a unique and expensive looking purple car was parked.

"So what do you think? Isn't it beautiful?" Trivette asked,

"It's uh," Walker started to say.

"Unique," Alex supplied.

"Yea, unique," Walker finished.

"Yes it is," Jimmy said, reaching in to get a buffer stick.

"It's great. Whose is it?" Sydney asked.

"It's mine," Jimmy said proudly, buffing off some nonexistent fingerprints.

"Yours?" Sydney questioned.

"Yup," Jimmy said, too wrapped up in the car.

"Wait a minute now, Jimmy. A car like this would cost a hell of a lot of money. Where'd you get the money to buy this?" CD asked.

"Let me explain," Jimmy said, dropping the stick back in the car but CD jumped in first.

"Are you dirty?"

"No, I'm not on the take," Jimmy said, shocked that CD would even suggest that.

"Did you inherit some money?" Alex asked.

"Nope."

"You finally picked a good stock," was Walker's guess.

"No but I do have an idea…" he started to say to Walker before CD cut him off again.

"Listen Jimmy, I asked you a question. Are you dirty?" CD asked again.

"No, I'm not on the take!"

"What did you do, find it?" Gage asked.

"That's what I did," Jimmy said.

"Trivette, tell us how you got the car," Walker replied.

"That's what I'm trying to do. The car was impounded last month by the police and yesterday it came up for auction. I had told Matt down at the motor pool to keep his eye out and if anything special come up to give me a call. He calls; I go down and bid on the car and voila! People am I lucky or what?" Jimmy explained.

"It's definitely you, Jimmy," Alex said.

"Yes it is!" Trivette was so overly excited.

"So you gonna let us drive it?" Gage asked.

"Uh…." Jimmy was hesitant. He knew Gage's history with cars and it wasn't a good one. Even Sydney had told him some horror stories about Gage's driving. "Let me get back to ya on that."

"Well we gotta go," Walker said, motioning to him and Alex.

"Where to?" CD asked.

"We're going to the movies," Alex replied. The couple walked away as Jimmy expressed his disbelief that CD thought he was on the take.

Back inside the restaurant, CD and Sydney had continued the discussion about women being rangers.

"I'm not saying there aren't some jobs that women can do better than men…"

"Oh right, like diapering, vacuuming, crying…" Sydney interrupted.

"And interrupting. There may well be a president, a woman president, in my lifetime," CD said.

"Well, God forbid," Sydney shot back. She looked over at Gage and Trivette. "Do either one of you two have an opinion on this thing? Gage?"

Gage felt like he was being pulled in two different directions. On one hand, he knew he should side with CD as the older man was a veteran ranger and knew more than the three of them combined. On the other hand, he knew he should stand up for Sydney and defend her as a woman ranger. Not only that, but he knew he should defend her for the deep feelings she stirred within him.

Gage had felt a strong pull for Sydney Cooke since the day he met her, but he didn't quite understand what it was he was feeling. He knew he loved having her by his side and knew he would never want another partner besides her. He and Sydney had this weird connection where they could anticipate the other's moves and communicate without speaking, but what was it? What was it that made him never want to leave her side? What was it that made his heart flutter when he thought of her? Could it be? Nah, he knew it wasn't that. But maybe it was. Maybe he was starting to develop some unpartner-like feelings for her.

"Well, sure," he started. "I have an opinion on this," he said, choosing his words carefully as to not offend either of them. "And my opinion is that I would like to hear Trivette's opinion," he finished, taking a drink of his coffee.

"And my opinion is that I think it's time for me to take the purpster out for a spin," Jimmy said, taking his hat and heading out the door.

"Did he just say purpster?" Gage asked.

"Purpster?" CD asked.

"He just said purpster," Sydney replied.

But as Trivette walked outside, there was a couple goons waiting for him, hired by none other than Crowder. They began to attack his car before setting their sights on him. Gage and Sydney rushed out to help, quickly subduing the men who cornered Trivette. They made their escape in the back of a pickup.

"Call an ambulance," Gage said to Sydney as she ran inside.

After the EMTs arrived to take Trivette to the hospital, Gage and Sydney followed to make sure he was okay. Sitting in the waiting room, Gage sighed.

"What is wrong with some people?" he asked.

"I just don't know Gage. I'm just glad we were there."

"I know me too."

Sydney turned to him. "You really don't have an opinion on women rangers?"

Gage sighed. He knew she was going to get back to this. "Syd, you gotta understand. There are very few women rangers; it's typically more of a guy thing. But I have no questions in your abilities. You are one of the strongest women I know."

"But that doesn't answer my question."

The doctor came out then, saving Gage from having to explain any further. How could he tell her that she was an inspiration to him? How could he tell her that he had never felt so at ease with another partner? How could he tell her that he was feeling something towards her? Was it possible he was falling in love with her?

Another attempt was made by Crowder, only this time it wasn't against Trivette. It was against Melissa Fuller, letting a wild bull loose while she was practicing her barrel racing. If it hadn't been for Ty, who knows what would've happened. Ty didn't waste any time jumping into the ring to save Melissa and got himself whupped in the process. That was when Ty asked Walker to do the unthinkable: would Walker ride Widow Maker in the charity rodeo?

It took some convincing to get Alex to be okay with it, but Walker was going to do it. He was going to ride Widow Maker. Walker, Alex, Trivette and CD had gone ahead to the rodeo while Gage and Sydney were riding together.

Sydney couldn't have been more excited. "Come on Gage, will you step on it?"

"Relax, we'll get there," he said, not really increasing his speed.

"I know we're going to get there, what I want is to get there on time," she persisted.

"You know Syd, I never would've picked you for the rodeo type," he replied, looking over her tight jeans and plaid shirt. The tan Stetson on her head completed the outfit and Gage thought she looked even more amazing that she ever had before. It was just a side benefit that she liked rodeos as much as he did.

"Actually, I love rodeos. I do. But this is not just an ordinary rodeo. This is Walker versus the Widow Maker. This is huge! This is like Tunney versus Dempsey. This is like Ali versus Frazier, the third fight, you know? This is, this is the thrilla in manilla," she said excitedly. She knew Gage loved rodeos and she was glad she could have this in common with him.

Sydney already loved everything about Gage but finding out they had more stuff in common was just a perk for her. She knew how hard it was for Gage to open up to someone and after hearing what he and his sister Julie had been through as kids, she knew that if anything like that were to happen again, she wanted to be there to comfort him. She wanted to be the one he turned to in the night when nothing made sense and he just needed someone to hold him. She wanted to love his heart so that it was protected. She just wanted him, plain and simple.

Gage looked at her. "Wait a minute, you mean you're a boxing fan too?" he asked, just finding another thing he loved about her. This woman never ceased to amaze him.

"You know Gage. I guess there's a lot you still don't know about me," she said. ' _But I want you to know everything. I want you to know how much I love you._ ' she thought to herself.

Pulling her from her thoughts was the sound of an alarm and three masked idiots running from a nearby bank. Gage hit the brakes and pulled the car to a stop. He and Sydney gave chase to the suspects, him taking after the first two while Sydney took the big guy.

It didn't take long, but thanks to some well-placed kicks and punches, the guys were down for the count. Sydney sat them on the sidewalk while Gage called for backup from Fort Worth PD.

"Are they coming?" she asked impatiently.

"Fort Worth PD is stretched pretty thin. Said they'd send a couple cars when they can," Gage said, knowing how badly she wanted to get to the rodeo.

Sydney couldn't believe it. She was going to miss seeing Walker ride the Widow Maker. She turned and faced the criminals. "Alright, you all are under arrest for armed robbery, reckless endangerment, assault on a peace officer and, most importantly, for making me miss the rodeo," she said, crouching down in front of the big guy.

Since they missed the rodeo, Gage thought he would surprise Sydney by bringing some Chinese takeout and a video of the Ali versus Frazier fight over to her place. He knocked on the door and waited. She opened the door and he thought his heart was going to burst from his chest.

Sydney stood there, door wide open wearing a pair of comfy sweats and a white tank top. Her hair was falling over her shoulders in slight waves, indicating she had taken a shower before he got there. Her face was makeup free and her feet were bare.

"Hey Gage. What's up?"

He had to shake the cobwebs from his head. He held out the bag. "I know how much you wanted to go to the rodeo, but since we couldn't make it, I thought we could have some dinner and watch a fight on video."

Sydney couldn't believe it. He was standing there, holding food from her favorite takeout place and he remembered how she said she liked boxing. She'd never had a man actually listen to what she said about things that interested her. Usually when a man asked what she liked, he didn't hear because he was too busy checking her out. Could Gage get any more perfect?

"Thanks Gage. This is so nice of you. Come on in," she said as she stepped back to let him in. Gage realized this was one of the first times he had ever been to her place.

"What did you get for food?" she asked.

"I remembered you said you like Kung pao chicken and the mini veggie eggrolls so that's what I got for you."

"What did you get for you?"

"Beef with broccoli and some wontons."

"You know you're going to share with me right?" she asked with a teasing tone.

"Forget it Shorty," he teased her back.

"Which fight did you bring?" she asked, taking the bag from him and going into the kitchen to plate it up.

"Ali versus Frazier, the third fight."

"Do you listen to every word I say?"

"Most of the time."

"Uh huh," she said, coming into the living room with the food. Gage couldn't help but notice she had some of his wontons on her plate. He just smiled and turned on the fight before settling next to her on the couch.

The food was delicious and the fight was amazing. Sydney got right into cheering alongside Gage and the air was comfortable. It was as if this was what they did every night; eating dinner together and watching TV. Gage could see himself being beside her for every moment in his life.

After the fight was over, Sydney took the plates into the kitchen, rinsing them off and sticking them in the dishwasher. She got a couple beers ad rejoined Gage on the couch.

"You know Gage; you still never really answered my question from before."

"What question was that, Syd?" he asked, taking a swig off his beer.

"What is your honest opinion of women rangers?"

"Are we really back to this again?"

"Yes, I want to know what you think. Please, it's important to me," she said quietly, taking a sip from her own beer.

Gage looked into her eyes and saw she wanted the reassurance. He set his beer down on the coffee table, took her hand and looked into her eyes. Sydney set her beer down too.

"Syd, you know that you're more than just a 'woman ranger', at least to me. None of us, Walker, Trivette or myself, think of you as just a 'woman ranger' and I'm sure CD doesn't either. But if I had to choose between having another guy for a partner or having you, I'd pick you every time. You're always there for me and I have no problem putting my life in your hands. You think better than most of the male rangers I know and have better instincts than they do. Other than the packaging being different, there's no difference between a male ranger and you."

She thought for a moment about what he said. She knew most men would prefer to work with other men because women were known for being 'weak' and 'fragile'. But Gage's comforting words hit right to her heart and that was good enough for her.

"Thanks Gage. You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that. You always seem to know what to say to me."

"You're welcome. There isn't another ranger out there better than you, except for maybe Walker."

"Are you kidding? I know Walker is better than me. I would kill to have his moves."

"You're moves are pretty great too."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"You know how to kick butt better than anyone I've ever worked with."

"Well I do have a great partner," she said, leaning in to peck his cheek.

Gage couldn't help himself. He breathed in as her hair brushed against his face. The light, flowery scent wafted to his nose and he breathed in again. He slowly brought a hand up to feel the silky strands and Sydney pulled back to look at him. That was when she saw his eyes.

Those bright blue orbs shined like diamonds underwater as they gazed upon her. She could see the passion burning bright within them and slowly, she lowered her lips to meet his.

The kiss was soft and sweet but it had Gage roaring inside. He felt like he had a wild animal inside him, clawing to get out. He brought his hand back up to her head and caressed her hair as he slid his tongue across her lips. Sydney gasped and he slid right between her parted lips to truly taste her. Her arms went around his neck, pulling herself closer to him, almost like she couldn't get enough of him. He leaned back against the arm of the couch, taking her with him as she settled on his chest.

Again he kissed her with more passion than she had, wanting her to know full well what he felt for her. Her fingers wound themselves in his hair as she feasted on him. The both needed to breathe, but neither of them wanted to break the moment.

Gage finally did, pulling back so he could see her eyes.

"You have no idea how much I've wanted to do that."

"Really?" she asked.

"Yeah. I've wanted to do that for a long time."

"What stopped you?"

"Sydney, I want you to know, first and foremost, that I have feelings for you. If I didn't love you, I could never have kissed you like that."

"Wait, you love me?"

"You really couldn't tell?"

"Oh." She was quiet again. "Gage?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you too." She kissed him again, pinning him back against the cushions. She wanted control and he gladly gave it to her. After a few minutes, she stood and held out her hand. He took it cautiously.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"Just come with me, please."

He followed her into her bedroom.

"Syd…."

"Gage, can you just hold me tonight?"

"Anything for you Shorty."

Sydney climbed into bed and waited as he removed his jeans and shirt before sliding into bed with her. Snuggling up into his chest, Sydney had never felt more at ease.

"Gage?"

"Yeah?"

"Can every night be like this?"

"For as long as you want me, every night can be like this."

She looked up into his eyes so that he wouldn't misunderstand her.

"I'll always want you, I've always wanted you."

A quick kiss to her lips and Gage knew that as long as she wanted him, he would be there for her, in every sense of the word. And tonight was just the beginning.


End file.
